Revlon Black with Envy

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I left the last gel manicure on for 14 days, the last week of which I was really hard on my hands, and I got the first chip on the 13th day.  I took a picture before removing it, but will spare you - what finally prompted me to change it was breaking off the entire free edge of my left pinky nail, and the little stump next to the four grown-up nails isn't a very attractive picture.  I filed all my nails down because in addition to the major break, the fake tip and repair I was sporting, I managed to break five more nails (cracks across, but not all the way through).  I can handle a repair or two, but two tips and six repairs is a little excessive, so I did a chop.  Two nails are broken about halfway down the nail bed, so they'll have to stay shorter than usual for longer than usual (much to my dismay).  I'll tell you the tale of their demise after the pictures.

When I did the gel removal, which was a painless one, it was a truly spectacular Spring day, and I simply didn't have it in me to stay cooped up in the house doing my nails for an hour when I had the option of slapping on some polish and going out, so I went with polish.  It's Revlon's take on Chanel Black Pearl, called Black with Envy.  The little red sticker on the brush handle says "New Color" rather than "Limited Edition," so I really don't know whether it's here to stay or not.  Honestly, I like Revlon's new schtick of copying the last big Chanel (I'm thinking Perplex from Fall, then this one) - I like the Revlons better in both cases.  With Chanel bumping up their prices again, I think I'm just over Chanel completely.  I recall that in 2007 they were going for $17-$18 (we'll say $18 to give Chanel the benefit of the estimate), and a $7 increase constitutes a 38% price increase.  That's ridiculous.

Wow, I hadn't realized I had a Chanel tangent in me, sorry about that.  This is about  Black with Envy, which applied beautifully and is perfect in two coats, and really is a great substitute for Chanel Black Pearl.  Here it is in sunlight on my stumpy nails, which will be back to normal as soon as they can be...

Revlon Black with Envy Nail Polish, Two Coats

For $19 less than the Chanel, I'm sorry that I bought the Chanel.

So, want to hear how I managed to break all but two gel-reinforced nails in a week?  It was due to what I shall forever recall as The Febreze Incident of 2011.  The weekend before last, I was working on the house, reorganizing and preparing for a new routine when I start the new job this week.  I got some Febreze Air Effects, and went about the business of freshening the air, carpet, drapes, etc., at the end of a long day, Saturday evening, I think.  Well, what I hadn't been aware of was the ridiculously high pollen count at the time, with pollen being a huge allergen for me, and as a consequence I had virtually no sense of smell.  I became aware of how impaired my olfactory sense was after taking some Benadryl and heading off to bed - I woke up absolutely choking on the hideous soapy air a few hours later.  I opened windows and turned on an air purifier, but in the morning it was just as bad as ever.  Searching online brought me to many discussions of "Febreze is the Devil" and things like that - some people were reporting no improvement after a month of trying to eliminate that noxious soapy chemical smell.  I tried a few things (bowls of salt and cider vinegar, a Heloise trick, eventually was the thing that made a huge difference), but for three solid days the focus of my cleaning efforts became washing every piece of laundry, throwing out anything porous and not washable, etc.  In that process, my nails took a real beating.  And if I'm ever caught using Febreze again I shouldn't be allowed into my own home until I get more sense.

The good news out of it was that it made breathing enough of a hassle to get me to quit smoking after twenty-five years (I'm really hoping quitting takes).  I'm also now quite knowledgeable about the myriad non-chemical ways to freshen air, so I guess The Febreze Incident of 2011 was not a total loss...

That's what I have for you today, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!